In November 2015 I found out that I was pregnant for the first time in my life (at the age of 43) almost immediately. I am an RN in the emergency department...one night while at work I took a pregnancy test, not expecting it to be positive since I was only a day late. To my surprise it was positive...I actually thought that I was seeing things. I was working the night shift at the time, so when I came home in the morning and told my husband he was shocked as well, happy but shocked. We tried to not get too excited about it because we thought that my at my age I would miscarry, but as the days went by and our chances of miscarriage... Read More

My husband and I conceived very quickly on April 1 2015. We were only trying for two months and then we were pregnant. My pregnancy was going great. As a first time mom I was pleased with how things were going. I was working, taking a prenatal swim class, finishing grad school and feeling pretty wonderful minus some lower back pain.At about 32 weeks, while my husband was away for work, I noticed that when I went to lay down at about 5:30p.m. I didn't feel the baby's usual movements. I was worried, I texted my husband, and he told me not to mess around. So I called my doctor, went into L&D with my mother in law by my side and that is when things got tricky.They noticed I had high BP... Read More

I found out I was pregnant at the age of 23, I was healthy for the most part never really had any health issues but thyroid, which my doctor often monitored closely. I had no problems throughout my entire pregnancy not even a negative test! At 36 weeks I begin to have extreme pains in my stomach that I thought were contractions, our first visit to the hospital they had sent me home stating my contractions weren't stable enough and I wasn't dilated to 3-4 Cm. The Pain had gone away until 2 days later where I found myself back at the hospital this time they gave me morphine and stated contractions once again weren't stable enough. At this point I was co uncomfortable and in so much pain I... Read More

My journey with Preeclampsia started unknowingly at just 21 weeks pregnant. A usual person's New Year starts with excitement and fun while mine started with me waking up with hands so swollen I couldn't even bend my fingers and they hurt so bad. I was hot and grumpy and I really just thought it was pregnancy, but then I checked my blood pressure and it was 144/93 and I thought that was a little high compared to normal. I mentioned it to my mom, but we both just brushed it off. Every day from that point I woke up in the morning crying with swollen hands and I would spend my days sitting around with the windows open in the middle of winter because I was so hot... Read More

I found out I was pregant for the 5th time and shortly thereafter I learned I was expecting twins. I was 35 years old and happy to learn of our new additions. However, in the third trimester I began to have swelling and blood work indicated low platelets. As the end week progressed I learned I had a condition known as HELLP syndrome. My platelets were low bordering severe levels and liver enzymes and various other tests were being carefully monitored. I was admitted to the hospital as my platelets continued to lessen. Constant blood work being drawn and it was a less than joyous occassion as I became extremely anxious and concerned. I prayed daily and that faith brought me through. I was... Read More

I am writing this one week + one day after the birth of my son Hudson Henry.
I had shown no signs of high blood pressure, and tested negative for protein in my urine. I didn't show any signs of preeclampsia, and everything was looking normal for my pregnancy.
On Thursday July 28, I went to my ob-gyn to find I was 3cm dilated. She checked me out inside, broke my plug, and started the process of my son coming into the world. I began getting contractions, sporatically for a couple of days. On July 30, at 3:30AM, my partner and I decided to head to the hospital.
Upon arrival, I... Read More

5 suggestions for when you have a friend or family member in the hospital
This is meant to be helpful for those who do have someone in the hospital. I spent 30 days in the hospital prior to my daughter being born. I learned a lot from my experience and want to share it with others to be helpful for those who do have to go through a tough time. It's impossible to know what someone will need or want until you experience it yourself.
1. If you have a friend or family member in the hospital, especially if it's for an extended stay, visit with her. Those hospital days are long and painful. It really hurts to be separated from your... Read More

Hi my name is Brooke Hotaling, I'm 18, when I found out I was pregnant at 6 weeks the doctors said that my blood work results were low and looked like I was going to miscarry so I then had to redo them and my numbers went up so they told me not to worry, at 8 weeks I was at a football game in Syracuse, Ny. I then was on my way home to Auburn, Ny. When I thought I had to use the bathroom and thought I peed myself so we stopped at my befriends brotheds house in Liverpool, Ny, where I then went to the bathroom and noticed I was gushing blood so I immediately got scared and told my sons father in a text what was going on and that we had to go because I was embarrassed to say it out... Read More

On June 6th, I got sent to the hospital while I was at my obgyn appointment doing my stress test. I was having contractions 3 minutes apart, my blood pressure was extremely high, but was only dilated to a one. While at the hospital they tested me for pre-eclampsia and that of course came back positive. They decided to break my water, to try and help get my baby boy here. After 4 days, (72 hours) of labor, they decided it would be best to do a c section, because I was only dilated to a 3. June 9th, at 6:36am My precious baby boy was born, heatlhy weighing 7lbs 14oz. After his birth, I was still really swollen and blood pressure and heart rate was high. My doctor had to leave out of... Read More

It all started when I found out I was pregnant with difficulties. When I found out I was pregnant things turned badly, my baby was small and not growing like a normal baby should to my baby possibly have down syndrome. Things turned better but my little bean still was small but didn't have DS. I was just 22 weeks along when I realized my feet got swollen, blurry vision, and having bad headaches.
I thought nothing of it and told myself, I'm fine. With my first I didn't have any complications she's ten years old now. I was sixteen when I had my first, I'm now twenty seven years old. I kept going on with my life happily being pregnant with number two. I made it to twenty three... Read More

I had been diagnosed with hypertension when I was in my 20s. (Thank you, genetics). I was on and off meds for a few years, and for at least a whole year, my blood pressure was measuring fine, and I had not been on any medication.
I got married in 2011, and we were finally ready to start a family in 2014. We found out my due date was smack dab on Valentine's Day, 2015!
I was hesitant to tell family (even my parents) until 12 weeks, but my doctor said we could (I was almost 7 weeks) in case of any complications. At that point - I knew “complications” could probably only mean miscarriage - preeclampsia had not even entered my mind.
So we went on and surprised... Read More

Hi: my name is Natalie and I am a 36-year-old wife and mother of 2 children. My Daughter is 6 and my son will be 5 this summer. Preeclampsia is not something that only occurs during pregnancy. Pregnant mothers just like myself can have wonderful pregnancies with no complications, deliver perfectly healthy babies and then suddenly symptoms of preeclampsia occur. I got a taste of postpartum preeclampsia shortly after my daughter was born. I was being released from the hospital and my nurse made mention that my pressure was on the rise and indicated that she was going to contact my OB. Later that day I was discharged with instructions to monitor my pressures… I went home and Googled... Read More

In June 1990, my husband & I were expecting our third child. Out two previous pregnancies had been basically normal- I had extreme morning sickness & gestational diabetes (diet-controlled) in the first pregnancy, but typical morning sickness in the second and no diabetes. In this pregnancy I had been able to avoid morning sickness by making sure my stomach was never completely empty. Except for a single severe headache one Sunday in May (didn't even consider contacting Dr., since it was gone by next morning), I'd had no exceptional discomforts. On Father's Day, I woke feeling as though I had a kidney infection-something else I first experienced in my... Read More

I found out I was pregnant in the middle of everything. I was finishing graduate school for my MSW and had been together with my boyfriend at the time for almost a year. We had literally just talked about getting married and planned on having our first child within a year of our marriage. I started feeling sick constantly so I took a pregnancy test and it was positive. I worried about us being ready for this huge, unexpected change, but when I called my boyfriend and told him I was pregnant, he was really happy. We got engaged the following month. We were martied in June, when i was 5 months pregnant. My pregnancy was an exciting, happy time, and seemed very normal... until I hit my... Read More

Between Deguen turning 4 just a couple days ago and it being Preeclampsia Awareness Month, the fact that I'm a HELLP Syndrome survivor is on the forefront of my mind. Perhaps if I share my story, a mom-to-be may recognize some of the same symptoms and save her and her baby's life. My pregnancy with Deguen was straight forward and easy for the most part. There were a few common pregnancy complaints which now looking back were actually HELLP Syndrome symptoms. At 37 weeks my feet swelled considerably. The day before, I attended my friend's bridal shower and I had worn heels, walked all over the city and sat on a bar stool with my feet dangling for a couple... Read More

My story begins in March 2016. My daughter Aarabella's birthday was March 1st, mine was March 9th, and my husbands was March 26th. We had a long month of March birthdays to celebrate. I started swelling. It was so bad, I broke my sandals from the heaviness of my feet. I also couldn't seem to keep food down. I would throw up before i even finished a plate. I saw my doctor as scheduled. He said it was "normal". I could feel something deep down telling me it wasn't normal. I also mentioned that I saw spots occasionally. That was nothing to be concerned about he had told me. So, after gaining no weight during my pregnancy i suddenly weighed as much as my partner. About 200 lbs from 178. I... Read More

Part 1
I was scheduled for a planned c section on October 14, 2015 around 39 weeks. River arrived at 36 weeks instead on September 24. It all really started a few days before he was born. I hadn’t been feeling well a few days leading up to his birth and had this weird sense of “impending doom” you could say. I actually got really depressed and weepy and felt so tired and ill. Intuition I guess. The day before I had him I especially started feeling bad and having a strange sharp squeezing and shooting pain right behind and above my belly button, sometimes in my ribs. It came and went in a pattern like contractions but it wasn’t contractions and I was not in labor. My back... Read More

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Privacy Policy

Normal web site usageThe Preeclampsia Foundation has a firm commitment to Internet privacy. You can visit most portions of preeclampsia.org without telling us who you are and without revealing any personal information. The only information we collect from a normal web site visit is the name of your Internet Service Provider, the browser and type of machine you are using, the web site that referred you to us, the pages you request and the date and time you request them. We use this information to generate statistics and measure site activity to improve the usefulness of the site to our visitors.

Collection of personally identifiable informationThe Preeclampsia Foundation may collect names, email addresses and other personally identifiable data about visitors when such data is voluntarily submitted to preeclampsia.org. For example, our site uses forms for visitors to register or make a donation online. Contact information from these forms is used to send information about preeclampsia or Foundation activity to our visitors. Financial information is used to bill or provide receipts to visitors in connection with their donations. To ensure the security of credit card and personal information, this Web site employs industry-standard security methods, including the Secure Socket Layers (SSL) protocol for the encryption of transmitted data. The Preeclampsia Foundation goes to great lengths to protect the confidentiality and integrity of any personal information you share with us over the Internet. In instances where we may partner with medical organizations to conduct research on preeclampsia, your participation may be expressly requested, but your permission would be required prior to sharing personally identifiable data with authorized medical organizations.

The Preeclampsia Foundation makes every effort to ensure the secure collection and transmission of sensitive user information using industry accepted data collection and encryption methodologies.

Donor Privacy PolicyThe Preeclampsia Foundation does not sell or otherwise disclose user information outside the organization. We will not sell, trade or share a donor's personal information with anyone else, nor send donor mailings on behalf of other organizations.

Should you wish to review or make corrections to your personal information, please click Login/Join at the top of the page and enter your login information. A page titled "Edit Your Details" will appear in the main body of the page where you can view and make corrections. If you wish to be removed entirely from our database, please email info@preeclampsia.org.

CookiesWe do not use cookies on the majority of our website pages. The donate pages do use "per session" cookies. Per session cookies last only for the life of your current browser load and use no permanent storage on your hard drive. The use of per session cookies is very common in modern Web sites.